Electrical connecting device



March 4, 1958 Filed Sept. 15,v 1954 O. L. MITCHELL ELECTRICAL CONNECTING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 4 1958 o. L. MITCHELL 2,825,882

ELECTRICAL CONNECTING DEVICE Filed Sept. 1.5, 1954 2 Shee'lzS-SheeI 2 /Sz 60 \f -f 66 A lNVflNToR. (am bg. BY 96 M Afro/P/VEY,

United States Patent ELECTRICAL CONNECTING DEVICE Orson L. Mitchell, China Le, Calif.

Application September l5, 1954, Serial No. 456,34)

2 Claims. (Cl. 339-483) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to an electrical connecting device of the springjack receptacle type, and more particularly to a device designed for use under conditions of considerable vibration, and wherein extreme reliability is desirable.

In the firing of rockets from an airplane under service conditions, it is desirable that the electrical circuitry be dependable, yet the vibration developed by the plane tends to open circuits at any point where there are separable parts, as at a switch or other connecting device.

The present invention aims to provide an electrical coupling to serve With standard phono-jack plugs which will maintain its connection despite severe vibrations, and which can if desired be made to give notice, by Way of a short circuit, if the connection is accidentally broken.

A further object of the invention is to provide a coupling which will Work equally Well with any of several known types of phono-jack.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description.

Fig. 1 is a view in longitudinal section of a connecting device embodying the invention, the plug and its receptacle being shown in separated position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing the plug and receptacle connected in circuit-closing position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 4 is a similar View of the modied form, but showing the elements connected in circuit-closing position.

The form of apparatus shown in Figs. l and 2 includes a male member in the form of a jack plug cornprising a body having connected thereto electrical wiring 12 which, in the example above referred to, will connect with the rocket. The jack plug may be of known commercial construction, and as shown is provided with a base 14 and bosses 16 to facilitate handling. The plug has a tapered shank body 1S which is separated by insulation from a tip 22, as known in the art.

The receptacle includes a generally cylindrical body 24 formed with a longitudinal bore and having llanges 26 drilled to permit the receptacle to be bolted to the airplane body, indicated at 27, by bolts 2B. A cylindrical portion 29 on said body is designed to receive the plug and is formed with bayonet slots 3d to receive corresponding pins 32 on the male member, to secure the two members together in usual manner.

The body member 24 is closed by a threaded cap 34 through which extends an electrical cord 36 connected to electrical control apparatus in the airplane. Within a ICC the body member are stationary insulating members indicated at 38, 39, 40, shaped as indicated to accommodate the wiring and other elements to be described. One of the conductors, 42, of cord 36 extends through members 3S, 39 and along the outside of member 40, whence it extends in the form of a coil spring 43 the upper end of which is seated against a stationary retaining ring 44 while its lower end is seated against a movable contact ring 46, urging it into contact with a shoulder 47 in the interior of the body. The other conductor, 48, extends through members 38 and 39 and through the upper surface of member 40, whence it extends in the form of a coil spring 50 the lower end of which is seated against a movable button contact 52.

in the operation of the device shown in Figs. l and 2, the receptacle is mounted at some suitable location on the plane and the male member, electrically connected to a rocket by cord 12, is inserted in the receptacle and rotated to cause pins 32 to engage the bayonet slots 3l). The parts are then in the positions shown in Fig. 2, wherein tip 22 has made contact with button 52 and shank l has raised ring 46 out of contact with shoulder 4'7. Upon the closing of the circuit by means of control apparatus in the plane, not shown, current will ilow through conductor 4S, spring 5l), button contact S2, tip 22 and cord l2 to a fuze or other initiating device, returning through cord 12, shank 18, ring 46, spring 43,l and conductor 42 back to the control apparatus.

if now the locking apparatus 30, 32 fails to hold the male member in place, due to vibration or other cause, the spring Sil will force the plug outwardly of the receptacle until the ring 46 seats upon and makes contact with the shoulder 47 of the body t8, and if said body is grounded by being connected to the airplane body a ground circuit will result which can be detected and indicated by any suitable type of instrumentation in the cockpit, so that the situation may be corrected.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the stationary receptacle has a cup-shaped metallic body 6B formed with anges 61 and secured to a mounting surface 62 of the airplane by bolts 64. Said body is formed with a reentrant plug comprising a sleeve 66 formed integral with the body 69, a bolt 67 having a contact tip 68, and an insulating bushing 70 therebetween. A contact wire 72 supplies current to the tip 68, being secured thereto by an annular nut 71 and insulated from the body 60 by shouldered insulating washers 74.

A ground jumper strip 76 may be secured to the body by a bolt 78, which also retains the terminal of a Wire Si) for ground return in case added grounding is required. The strip 76 extends downwardly and around flange 6l, being held in contact with surface 62 by the bolt 64.

The body 6d of the receptacle is provided with pins 82 which engage in bayonet slots 83 on the movable member new to be described. Said movable member comprises a hollow cylindrical body 84 having threaded therein a closure member S6 having anges 87 for rotating the assembly to cause the pins 82 to seat in slots 83. Conductors 88, 89 pass through member 86, being embedded in insulation 90 and extending through a cord 92 to the rocket, not shown. A. live rubber pad 94, at the upper end of the cavity in body 6b, is compressed by and frictionally engages the upper end of body 84 when the movable member is secured as indicated.

A cup-shaped insulating member 96 is xedly mounted Within body 84, its upper end being closed by a metal retaining ring 9d. A coil spring 108, formed by an extension of conductor 89, has its upper end formed to seatagainst and be compressed bymring 98 and alsopto engage the contact tip 63 when the movable member is in place as indicated in' Fig. 4. A contact ring 102 is normally held in 4contact with the upper end of body S4 by a coil spring 104 formed as a continuation ot conductor 8S, but is moved downwardly by sleeve 66 when the movable member is moved into its connecting' position.

With the parts in the positions shownY in Fig. 4, current entering through Wire 72 will pass through tip 68, spring 10@ and lead S9 to the fune, not shown, and thence tl '1roughY conductor 88, spring 194, ring 102V andsleeve 66 toY surface 62, which is grounded by wire Si). But if the movable member shouldL slip ,out of its socket the spring 109 will moveinto contact with the ring 98, which will ground the conductor 89 and prevent the passage of current to the fuze.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that Within the scope of the appended claimsv the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

Vl. An electrical connector for use in an airplane or the like, comprising a receptacle formed with a longitudinal bore and a shoulder'A in said bore electrically connected to the body of the airplane, a plug movable into and out of said bore andA having a tapered conducting shank, a Contact ring shaped to receive said shank and movable longitudinally of said bore, resilient conducting means normally retaining said ring in Contact with said *shoulder but yielding to permitsaid shank to move said ring out of contact with said shoulder, a conducting tip on said plug insulated from said shank, a contact in said bore in alignment with said tip to be contacted thereby, an electrical circuit leading from the interior of the airplane body to said contact and thence through said tip to a point outside said airplane body, and a second electrical circuit leading from the interior of said airplane body to said resilient Aconducting means and thence through said ring and said shank to a point outside said airplane body.

2. An electrical connector for use in a vehicle, comprising a receptacle formed withl a bore and a shoulder inA said bore electrically connected to the body of the vehicle, a plug movable into and out of said bore and having a tapered conducting shank, a contact ring constructed and arranged to receive said shank and movable thereby longitudinally of said bore, resilient cdiiducting means normally retaining said ring iny Contact vvith said shoulderbut yielding to permit said shank to move said ring out of contact with said shoulder,. andv an electrical circuit leading from the interior of the vehicle body through said resilient conducting means and,V said ring and said shank to a point outside the vehicle body.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNTTED STATES PATENTS 2,562,544 Gleason July 31', 1,9551 2,632,788 Usfin Mar. 24, 1953 2,691,770 Ionaitis Oct. 1'2, 1954 

